Raised to put science over self, V must link her brain with fifteen other people, making her one of the world’s smartest humans. With this privilege comes a life dedicated to continual research inside a secluded facility, a life devoid of freedom.

But V is losing her identity and unable to predict which face will peer back at her from the nearest mirror. Escaping this life will mean freedom to think for herself—and abandoning everything and everyone she’s known and loved.

When your thoughts and speech are no longer private, freedom comes at a price. But for V the price may be her life.

The
rooftop. Oh, the air! The stars, hidden behind the city’s haze, pale in
comparison to the blinking lights of Atlanta—each light a testament to human
ingenuity and the desire to push harder, further, against the night. Marcus
sits on the concrete, back facing me. He looks over at the sound of the door
announcing my arrival. His smile flips into a frown in less than a second.

A
week and a half have passed since they cut off our paired streaming. In almost
eight months, a week hasn’t gone by without an exhilarating dose of Marcus’
emotions and the grounding feeling that I mean something to him. Until now.

“Hey.”

His
word lifts my insides and carries them away with the breeze. I turn, aware of
the camera positioned by the door. Thankfully, they can’t put a camera in the
moon.

“Hey.”
I sit down beside him, skin close enough to warm mine. The March night and my
regulation attire don’t do enough to keep the chill bumps off my limbs. In the
bright beam shining from the floodlight behind me, I can see all the little
specs in his eyes that keep them from being perfectly azure globes. I wait for
him to speak.

“V,”
he begins and stops. I hear that name only from him, and much less of late. “I
want to tell you all of it, everything I’ve been doing, but we …”

“We
can’t, I know.” Anger wells inside, like vomit. I rub my hand over my fuzzy
head. “Marcus, we’ll forget all this, I think.” I look back out across the
trees toward the distant rise of buildings. “I think that is their plan. I’ll
eventually forget that I used to stream with you.”

About the Author

If you're a teen, I work for you.
I write for you. I teach for you.

Seven days a week I seek to shine light into the world-darkened lives of young people, whether it be in a high school Spanish class, a youth group Sunday school class, or a coffee shop with my computer writing my next book.

I want my writing to be a bright spot on a dark shelf, a source of truth among many lies. You guys deserve books like this.

I live in north Alabama with my son, two droopy hound dogs, a cat named Sprinkles, and my superhero husband. No, really, he saved my life once. It’s a cool story.

If you want to know more about me, my writing, or my escapades as a teacher, please visit my blog.

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About Tressa

Welcome to Wishful Endings! This is where I geek out about all things bookish (mostly YA, but also Romance, Christian Romance, LDS Romance, and occasionally other genres and hobby titles)! I always include content info in my reviews so you know what you're diving into. I enjoy helping publishers and authors promote their books as co-owner of Prism Book Tours. Outside of blogging, I'm a total Marvel geek, Austen lover, and enjoy hanging with the family (husband, four kiddos, and pup).

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